


Bond

by ausynja



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Comfort, Domestic, M/M, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 00:29:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13201818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ausynja/pseuds/ausynja
Summary: Edward has a nightmare and needs a bit of time to reflect on it. But he didn't expect Roy to join him in the middle of the night to talk about it.Something next to him stirred, then groaned."Ed?""Go back to sleep, bastard."Edward leaned forward and kissed the top of Roy Mustang's head.He only grumbled again and turned around to his side.





	Bond

**Author's Note:**

> This work is dedicated to alphonseboy on tumblr for the Royed Gift Exchange 2017

"Edward! Brother!" Alphonse was screaming while his body disintegrated and was swallowed up whole. He had his arm outstretched, his fingers opening and closing, hoping to hold onto something, preferably his brother's hand.  
Alphonse screamed again.  
Edward got up on his two feet, leaping forward, trying to hold onto his little brother. But his fingers slipped through his and with another scream, Alphonse Elric vanished into thin air, pulled to the gate of truth.  
"Alphonse!", screamed Edward. He fell to his knees with his eyes screwed shut. It was then that he realised something was wrong. The floor beneath his left leg wasn't covered in his own blood. Edward looked around. Both of his legs were still flesh.  
Edward's heart beast faster. He still had his legs, so what had truth taken from him? Had it taken anything at all?  
No matter what it was, he had to save his little brother!  
Running towards the wall where two suits of armour hung. The boy tore one down, letting it clutter down to the ground. The helmet bounced away from the torso and rolled into a corner. Now all he needed was blood to draw the seal to bind iron to iron.  
But there wasn't any blood! Edward himself wasn't bleeding! There was not even a scratch on his skin.  
The knives! The knives the two of them had used to cut their fingers!  
Edward looked around. It took him a moment to spot them in the dark cellar. One of them was in his hand within the blink of an eye. Without any hesitation, Edward lifted the knife, and in one motion, cut his throat.  
Now with blood on his finger, Ed drew a circle, lines and a swirl. The entire time he was weeping and begging for anyone to bring his brother back.  
As the last line was done, Edward put his palms together, clapped and put both his hands onto the armour.  
Nothing happened  
"No!"  
Edward clapped his hands again. This time he put his fingers to the bloody lines.  
Nothing happened  
Edward shouted again; calling for his brother over and over. Refusing to give up, Edward continued clapping, until his arms tired and ached. His little brother's name, not shouted anymore, but a whisper fell from his lips.  
Alphonse was gone… and Edward couldn't bring him back.

~

With a silent scream Edward jolted awake.  
It was dark. There was no armour. Neither on the ground nor standing or sitting in a corner, awake, night and day, inhabited by his brother's soul.  
Slowly Ed's eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could make out the curtains, drawn together in front of the windows, shutting out the lights of the street. Then he saw the outlining of the wardrobe and the bed.  
Something next to him stirred, then groaned.  
"Ed?"  
"Go back to sleep, bastard."  
Edward leaned forward and kissed the top of Roy Mustang's head.  
He only grumbled again and turned around to his side. Ed smiled a little. It had taken him some time to acknowledge how much he loved seeing Roy so peacefully asleep. There were so many rare moments when Roy even relaxed. Now as a General there was even much more for him to do. That's why he enjoyed seeing him all comfortable, especially at night, when Roy was all his. So he should rest and sleep, not get all worried about Ed and his stupid nightmares.  
Edward exhaled, and then got out of bed. He took another look at Roy's sleeping figure. As quiet as he could, he left the room and closed the door. It clicked shut behind him. The carpeted floor muffled his steps and a bit of the clicking iron of his left leg's automail. His way led Edward straight into the kitchen.  
The light flickered on and cast its warm yellow glow over a few cupboards, a sink and a stove. Taking the kettle in one hand, Ed filled it with water from the tap. The gas in the stove sprung to life. After putting the kettle on the flames, Ed went on to collect a clean cup and teabag. There was nothing better than tea if he needed to calm down.  
Lost in thought, Edward went through the whole process of making tea on autopilot. He didn't spare a thought about anything he was doing. Just when he sat down to wait for the water to boil, did he allow himself to think about his little brother.  Alphonse had been back in his human body for years now. No side effects whatsoever. A complete success!  
But Edward had never stopped having nightmares. When he had been younger, and Al was trapped in a suit of armour, he had been dreaming about their mother and the mistake he had made. Now, with everything back to normal, Ed had only dreams about losing Al.  
In his dream, the failed attempt of a human transmutation hadn't been in the room with them. It had just been him, Al's quickly disappearing body and the armour.  
And the knife.  
Now Edward thought about it, something like this had never happened before. He had always found a solution to bind Al's soul somehow. He had never had to cut himself. Especially never such a vital area.  
Slowly he lifted his hand and brought it to his throat.  
Nothing  
Not even a scratch.  
Ed exhaled in relief, then took his hand away from his throat and looked at it. His fingers, nails, the slight bump of an artery on the back of his hand and a few faint scars.  
Then he lifted his other hand and arm. On this one he had less scars, but all in all it looked normal.  
Never before had Ed used a knife on himself in a dream, but neither before had his alchemy failed, too. His dreams where the only moments, where he could still perform alchemy.  
Here and now, at two o'clock in the morning, he had two flesh arms and no alchemy anymore.  
The kettle shrieked and pulled Ed out of his thoughts.  
_Shit!_  
He had wanted to keep an eye on it so he wouldn't risk waking Roy. The subsiding hissing made it hard to heard but so far no other sound stirred the night.  
Steam was rising from his cup as the water was poured. It soaked the teabag and soon the water turned brown. Edward looked at his right hand again. But he didn't really see it. Lost in thought he kept staring at the lines on his palm.  
The year following Al's recovery had been… weird. They had been filled with fun and the relief of having Al by his side. Ed had stayed by his side during rehabilitation. Although he had been kept alive thanks to their alchemical bond, Al's muscles had deteriorated terribly. Al's face was the most precious memories Ed held from that time. The moments when Al had tried Winry's Apple pie. And Gracia's quiche. And every variation of food he came across.  
Living his life to the fullest.  
That made Ed happy. It still did, without a doubt!  
But during the moments when he had been alone, Ed had to face his own future.  
He could not perform alchemy anymore. As much as he tried nothing ever happened. Ed had to learn to live his life anew and adapt to his new situation.  
Since he could remember, he had used alchemy in everyday life. From mending the tiniest broken cup to re-building an entire city's district.  
He was just Edward Elric now and nothing more.  
Half a year after he had pulled Al back from the gate, Ed made the first step into a new and different life.  
He had resigned from the military. Holding the title and rank of a state alchemist seemed ridiculous!  
Finally he was free.  
Wasn't he?!  
Ed had spent many years besides Al and watched over his recovery. Even after his little brother had found someone he had decided to share his life with, Ed stayed close by. Al had dropped many hints for Ed to get himself a girlfriend. Up until then, Ed had never even thought about having a relationship with a girl. It had frightened him a little. How to make something work one had never experienced before or were even interested in?  
"Nightmare?"  
Ed's head snapped around. He was still holding his hand in front of his face.  
"Hmm?" inquired Roy, an eyebrow raised.  
Ed looked at him and nodded slightly.  
"Still, told you to go back to sleep!"  
"You know I can't!" Roy stretched and entered the kitchen. Reaching for a cup, he yawned, "I cannot sleep alone in bed. It's too cold."  
"Then I don't wanna know how you managed without me all those years."  
"Not? It's quite a fun story!"  
Edward pulled a face but Roy ignored it. He pressed a kiss to Ed's forehead, before he turned towards the kettle, filling his mug with water as well.  
Ed turned to his own tea. The teabag had vanished beneath the dark brown-ish water. With a spoon he fished it out, and then placed it on a little plate, Roy had put there. If he hadn't, Ed would have just dropped it on the table.  
Silence filled the kitchen. Neither of them uttered a word. Ed's eyes wandered over to Roy.  
Not believing he could even be able to find someone to spend his life with, to having the fortunate luck of not only having the great Roy Mustang as his lover but also having managed to keep him for so long.  
The famous General Mustang was only his to admire in the dim light of their kitchen, only wearing his long pyjamas pants and nothing more. He must have left the bed without giving it much thought. Which made Ed wonder if he had been worried and left the bed in a hurry.  
"Want to talk about it?" Through his bangs, Roy's blue eyes stared at Ed's.  
Instead of answering, Ed took a sip from his tea. When he put the mug down, he kept his eyes locked to the liquid.  
"I failed to bind Al's soul." Ed took another sip. "I couldn't use my alchemy anymore." He kept staring at his tea, feeling Roy's eyes still lingering. His fingers curled around the porcelain mug feeling it warming both his hands.  
"That's new."  
Ed just nodded.  
A moment passed before Roy shuffled in his seat. Reaching forward he peeled Ed's fingers off his cup. He took them into his hands and held on, letting his thumb stroke along Ed's.  
"Remember the time at the hospital after the Promised Day? You and Al were both so exhausted."  
"They put Al on a drip." Ed chuckled.  
Roy smiled, "And you threatened everyone with a needle to smash their heads in."  
Ed looked up and into Roy's eyes.  
"You wouldn't even leave Al for a second", Roy continued, "You scared the nurses away and helped him going to the bathroom. They moved Al's bed into your room to stop you from running around. The nurses told me that you woke up regularly to check on him. You wouldn't go to sleep until you had felt his heart beating and his chest moving."  
Roy squeezed Ed's hands.  
"Your hands did so much more than just work alchemy. And they continue to create more miracles up until now."  
"Stop being so schmaltzy!" Ed took his hands out of Roy's. "It was just a dream and nothing more." He ran a hand through his bangs.  
Silence fell over them again. It was only disturbed by the disposal of teabags and the clanking of metal spoons against the porcelain of the mugs.  
The clock ticked the time away, second by second. Outside the windows of the kitchen shone the moon, illuminating the backyard. Some leaves rustled in the wind.  
"It's cold", muttered Roy.  
"Put a shirt on!", said Ed but it was too late. With his tea in hand, Roy got up from the chair and exited the kitchen into the adjacent living room. His gloves lay on his desk, just two steps to the right. He slipped one of them on, snapped and guided the spark to the fireplace. It settled on a dry log and burst into flames, lapping on the wood.  
Lifting the quilt from the couch, Roy slipped underneath it. Tea in hand he settled on the couch, sighing happily as he felt its warmth spreading quickly.  
"Why aren't you even wearing a shirt?" Ed, too, had left the kitchen making his way into the living room.  
"Well", answered Roy, watching his lithe body walking towards him, clad only in his own short pyjama pants, "not everybody is a furnace on legs, like you are!"  
Roy opened his arms, welcoming Ed, making his way over to his lover. He sat down on top of Roy's lap, leaning in until their noses touched, before their lips met.  
A warm feeling spread through Roy's body and he hummed happily into the kiss. Closing his arms around Ed's upper body, he pulled him closer, earning himself a quiet chuckle.  
"Mmh, my second favourite activity with you."  
Edward nipped at Roy's lips. "Just second? Lemme guess what's your fave, you pervert!" He kissed him again, sliding his hand up, cupping Roy's neck.  
"Actually, that's my third favourite activity", muttered Roy, not willing to part, yet. But Ed moved, now both hands behind his lover's neck, using it as leverage as he leaned back, an eyebrow raised in question.  
Roy laughed, "Don't look at me like that! Sex with you is amazing -"  
"But what?", interrupted Ed with a quizzical look.  
"There are more things that make life with you even more special!"  
Less suspicious, but still curious, Ed gave Roy another look, chin raised in a challenge.  
"So what is it that you enjoy the most?"  
Roy looked at Ed, looked him in the eyes and held his gaze. He smiled fondly, letting his thumb rub up and down Ed's hip bone.  
"Falling asleep with you in my arms."  
A log in the fire popped loudly, sending sparks flying.  
"What?", asked Edward in disbelief.  
Roy tipped his head forward, resting it on Ed's right shoulder. He closed his eyes and exhaled.  
"Falling asleep with you in my arms. You heard right." Taking another breath, Roy continued, "Kisses and sex are something one can get  _easily_. If I had been so bold and suicidal, I would have kissed you whenever we had been alone."  
Roy looked up, searching for the gold of his lover's eyes. A smile spread across his face when he saw them, reflecting the firelight. They looked like fine whiskey and Roy was ready to drown in them.  
"With all I know now, I would have also managed to sleep with you."  
Edward took a breath, ready to say something, but Roy lifted a hand and brushed a loose golden strand of hair behind his ear.  
"Don't deny it. We both know it would have happened eventually." With his hand still behind Ed's ear, he pulled him closer, gently, as if any rash movement would scare him away.  
Their lips touched for a chaste kiss. Only parting for a centimeter or two, both stayed close, their breaths mingling.  
"But having you fall asleep with me. Peacefully, because you wanted to stay, not because you were exhausted and needed a place to crash.  
In these moments I feel so blessed to know you truly love me."  
Ed sighed and dropped his head slightly. Roy's lips touched his forehead now.  
"Will I ever be able to get all that sappy talk out of you?"  
"I am afraid, not", answered Roy, placing a kiss to Ed's skin, "And need I remind you, you asked what my number one favourite activity with you is."  
"But I didn't ask for your life story, stupid!" Ed smiled and leaned back, locking eyes with Roy again.  
"I love you!"  
"I love you, too!"  
The kiss that followed was slow with affection. It spoke of warmth and faith, of propinquity and appreciation. It told of a bond stronger than any alchemy could ever forge.  
Time seemed to stand still, the clock on the mantelpiece falling silent in the night. The flames in the fire burnt down, glowing little embers against the dark.  
The shrill ring of the telephone in the hall disturbed the night and both residents looked up.  
Ed shook his head slightly, but Roy sighed and wriggled himself free from under Ed.  
He shivered visibly, now exposed to the cold, as he left the quilt and its warmth on the couch.  
"General Mustang", he answered the phone, with a matter of fact voice. His facial features smoothed instantly when he heard the voice on the other end of the line.  
"So you thought calling at three in the morning would be better?!", he joked. Roy went silent for a moment, listening.  
"No worries. Just a second." Roy turned to face Edward.  
"Al wants to talk to you!", he explained.  
"Al?" Edward was astonished. Nonetheless he got up and walked over, carefully holding the receiver to his ear.  
"Are you alright?", asked Ed, more worried now. Why the heck would his little brother call him at night, if there wasn't anything wrong?  
"That's what I wanted to ask you!"  
It was weird to hear Al's voice over the phone. The tinny sound was back. Different but definitely tinny. Ed felt agitated.  
"I'm sorry brother, but I woke up an hour ago and couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. I was worried about you. That something might have happened."  
Ed smiled to himself. His little brother was worried over him. This wasn't his task! Al was the one of the two who should leave a normal and carefree life!  
"It's nothing Al. I just had a bad dream."  
While Ed was on the phone, Roy placed his chin on his lover's left shoulder, slung both arms around his waist, embracing him from behind.  
"A bad dream you say?", asked Al, his voice a little higher than usual.  
"Me, too, brother", confessed Al in a hushed voice, "I remember being dragged to the gate of truth and then everything just hurt. I couldn't open my eyes and I felt so lonely." His voice broke and Roy felt Edward shiver. It wasn't the cold, for sure, but the fear which settled behind Ed's ribs again.  
"But then", Al continued, "I saw the light. It was so bright I almost couldn't see anything. Except, your arm came floating towards me. And you pulled me out there", Al took a breath, "And I awoke in Roy's office; in my own body."  
Ed chuckled quietly. It wasn't the first time Al had dreamt of that office.  
"But brother, you weren't there. And then I woke up. It was two o'clock and I was worried about you."  
Edward felt Roy's smile on his cheek, before he got an awkward side kiss. The embrace tightened a bit, but it wasn't uncomfortable.  
"But then", Al sounded a little worried, "I didn't want to wake you at two in the morning, just because I had a bad feeling."  
"Al", interrupted his older brother, "You know you can call me whenever you want. I mean, you'll probably talk to Roy first, but… I'm always there for you!"  
"Wow what did you dream to get so sentimental? Or is Roy rubbing off on you?"  
"If that ever happens, you allowed to slap me across Central's library!"  
Both laughed. Meanwhile Roy squeezed Ed a little tighter and swung him a little from left to right, pressing his nose to his jaw line.  
"Ah!", exclaimed Al, interrupting the couple. Ed shoved Roy's face away while he continued to poke his lover with his nose.  
"I've talked to Winry and she wanted to go to Central for a weekend. I thought I might stop by, too."  
"We would be happy to have you both here", said Roy.  
"Wonderful! I'll tell Windy and give you a call with all the details. But", Al's smile was audible over the line, "I better let the two of you sleep! I don't want to be responsible for the General's death for falling asleep at work!"  
"Thank you, Al, for your thoughtful contribution", Roy laughed.  
"Bye Al! And sleep well for the remaining hours!"  
"Bye Ed. And thank you!"  
A clicked and the phone went dead.  
Ed huffed, "Elric telepathy is still working."  
Roy gave him a kiss to the neck.  
"You appeased Al and made him happy. Now let me make you happy!"  
"Al said you should go to bed!"  
"Then you should make sure I follow your brother's orders and bring me to bed."  
"I always knew I couldn't trust you! Then I will make an extra effort and make sure you stay in bed!"


End file.
